Ole Miss looks to rebound vs Oklahoma, Missouri and Vanderbilt eye playoff path in key matchup

Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:

Game of the week

No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1), Saturday, noon ET (ABC)

Oklahoma bounced back from a loss to Texas with a 26-7 win against South Carolina. Quarterback John Mateer led the charge, completing 18 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, looking significantly more comfortable after returning from a hand injury.

Mississippi fell 43-35 to Georgia, blowing a nine-point lead in the final six minutes of the game, and now faces the top defense in the country. This is just the third meeting between these two programs; a year ago, Ole Miss sacked Jackson Arnold nine times and won 26-14.

The undercard

No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

A battle of two surprise teams looking to stay in the mix for the SEC title game and a nice win for the College Football Playoff resume.

Vanderbilt’s storied season continued last week with a 31-24 win over LSU. Diego Pavia accounted for three touchdowns, two on foot and one in the air. Missouri escaped Auburn with a 23-17 overtime win sealed with a three-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Beau Pribula.

Missouri has won the last five against the Commodores, including a double-overtime thriller in 2024.

Impact players

— Lawson Luckie’s breakout game came at the right time for Georgia. The tight end connected with quarterback Gunner Stockton five times for 43 yards and three touchdowns during the Bulldogs’ win against Ole Miss on Saturday.

— Zabien Brown played a significant role in the Crimson Tide’s 37-20 win against Tennessee. The cornerback recorded a 99-yard pick-six on the Vols’ final first-half possession, giving Alabama possessions directly before and after the half and leading to a momentum swing. Brown allowed 16 yards across six targets and notched a career-high seven tackles.

— Colin Simmons recorded a career-high three sacks in the Longhorns’ 16-13 overtime win against Kentucky on Saturday. The edge rusher ranks second in the SEC and seventh nationally with seven sacks this season. He also leads the Longhorns with eight tackles for loss.

Inside the numbers

Gunner Stockton has found the end zone on foot more than any other SEC quarterback with seven rushing touchdowns. … Arkansas WR O’Mega Blake is catching up to Mario Craver (668) and Chris Brazzell (602) with 582 receiving yards through seven games. … Missouri receiver Kevin Coleman has connected with quarterback Beau Pribula 44 times, the most receptions of any SEC pass catcher. … Arkansas leads the conference in offensive yards per game (513.7). … Tennessee still has the lead in passing yards per game (310.7) and points per game (44.1). … Texas A&M’s defense has held opponents to the lowest third-down conversion percentage in the SEC (22.7) and second-lowest nationally behind only Ohio State (21.1).

Heisman watch

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is now the standalone favorite to win the Heisman Trophy with 3-1 odds, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Simpson has led the Crimso Tide to four straight wins against ranked conference opponents, completing 89 passes for 1,069 yards, nine touchdowns and only one interception along the way.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a close second among bettors with 13-4 odds.

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